Those Potter Boys
by DuShuZhi
Summary: AU NOT HP/GW: It's many years after the end of the war. Harry and Ginny are divorced with children. Harry's got the boys, Ginny the girl. To Harry it's a hassle, to Ginny it's a contest, but she should know that she'll never win against those Potter boys
1. Chapter 1

James glared down at the envelope lying on the table and ran a shaky hand through his messy, red hair. A letter from his father was clutched in his white knuckles. With a growl he crushed the parchment into a wrinkled ball. From the corner of his eye, he could see his little brother slowly approaching the Gryffindor table.

"So, I assume you've already read your letter from Dad," Albus stated quietly.

James clutched the sides of his head, still glaring at the destroyed letter. "I can't believe she'd do this. My whole summer is ruined because of her."

Albus plopped down next to him with a loud huff. A few Gryffindors gave the pair a curious look before quickly looking away. The Potter boys were infamous at Hogwarts for two reasons, their horrible mood swings and the speed of their curses.

"I just can't believe Dad would let her get away with this. He's always said we don't have to do anything we don't want." Albus crossed his arms angrily.

"She probably threatened him," suggested James. "She's not happy that we only come a few weekends in the summer, so now she wants a whole month. I can't wait until I'm sixteen and then I don't have to see her at all anymore."

Albus perked up at this, pushing his oval shaped spectacles up to peer closely at his brother. "Where'd you hear that?"

"I told him," a short, blonde Gryffindor girl stated as she sat down across from the boys. She was quiet pretty with her heart-shaped face and bright blue eyes. "Angela Perks," she said in introduction and held out a hand for Albus to shake. "And you must be James' Slytherin brother Albus."

"I am." Albus gently shook her hand and blushed. James snickered at that, so Albus punched him in the arm. "So, are you his girlfriend?"

James nodded. "She is, but don't tell Dad yet. You know how he is. He'll be planning our wedding already and I'm only fourteen!"

Angela giggled. "Is he really that bad?"

"A hopeless romantic," Albus explained. He reached out to take a biscuit, his appetite returning somewhat. "Now, how do you know that James doesn't have to go see our lovely mother once he's sixteen?"

"My parents are divorced too," she shrugged. "I hate going to see my Dad, but the Ministry says I have to. My Mum's lawyer said that according to the law, once I turn sixteen, no one can make me go anymore."

"Only two more years," James sighed.

"That's not fair. I don't want to go either!" Exclaimed Albus.

"Sorry Alby," James smirked, "It's every man for himself."

Albus huffed in frustration. "I just don't understand why she'd even want us there for a month. She knows we can't stand her and all we end up doing is fighting the whole time."

"It's all a contest," James explained. "She thinks that if she spoils us enough then we'll want to stay with her instead of Dad, as if that would ever happen. She's already spoils Lily horribly."

"I know," Albus nodded. "I can't even stand to be around her anymore." He looked down at the table top and scraped at the worn wood with a long fingernail. "It's horrible when she comes to stay with us. All she does is complain about all the stuff Dad won't get her and she doesn't even call him Dad anymore! Viktor is 'Dad' to her now. It hurts him so much when she says that."

James grimaced. "It makes me really uncomfortable."

"Your Dad sounds like such a great guy," Angela observed aloud. "I don't understand why your Mum ever left him."

"She wanted a famous Quidditch star," explained the youngest Potter boy, "Dad saves the bloody world and that just isn't good enough for her. She still tries to milk his fame though. Drags us around to all these posh places so blokes from the magazines and papers can take our pictures, it's so bloody annoying."

**dSz**

Harry ran a hand through his messy, black hair. He was angry, frustrated, and slowly losing patience with his ex-wife. It seemed as if nothing would make the woman happy. Even when getting her way, she'd still complain.

"It's just one Quidditch game, Ginny," he pleaded. Ginny's disembodied head glared up at him from the fireplace. "Can't you understand how important this is?"

"Important to you maybe," she huffed. "Viktor and I have already made plans that weekend."

"You've got the boys for the whole month! Isn't that enough for you? Can't you give me this one thing?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed as she flipped her long red hair over her shoulder. "I suppose if it's that important to you, but I want something in return."

Harry sighed and nodded. "Well, what is it you want?"

"I want to legally change Lily's name," she stated bluntly.

"What?" Harry nearly exploded with rage. The pictures on the walls rattled as Number 12 was shaken by his magic. Ginny's eyes widened in shock and Harry attempted to get himself under control. "What are you playing at?" He growled. "I won't allow my daughter to take that oaf's name."

"Don't talk about Viktor like that," Ginny sneered. "He's a great man and Lily loves him, but no, I wasn't planning on changing her last name."

"Then what are you planning on changing?"

"Her first name," she replied. "It seems silly to keep it as Lily when we always use her middle name."

"No one does that but you and Viktor."

"And she likes it," Ginny stated calmly. "And I prefer to call her Marie."

Harry slumped to the sofa and clenched his fists at his sides, willing his magic to remain calm and serene, even as his insides twisted with fury. "I won't allow it," he ground out through clenched teeth, "I won't allow you to change her name. If she wishes to change it when she's an adult, she can do it then, but I won't like it. Lily is a beautiful name and she should be proud to have it."

"She's not your mother," Ginny argued. "And she doesn't need to live in your mother's shadow."

"My mother was a great woman!" Harry shouted.

"With you it's always about them. I'm sick of hearing how great they were. This is about our daughter, Harry, not your mother."

"I didn't say it was about my mother." He got up and began to pace. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "I won't allow it."

"Well, then the boys won't be going to your first game."

Harry turned toward the fireplace and let out an animalistic snarl. Ginny's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't back down. Suddenly a little light went off inside Harry's head and he knew exactly what he needed to say to change his ex-wife's mind, as stubborn as it may be.

"I suppose you're right," he replied with a slight smirk. "I'll just have to inform them that they won't be able to come to their father's first professional Quidditch game because their mother won't allow it."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "You're always trying to turn them against me," she hissed.

"I don't need to try," Harry sneered. "You've done a bang up job of that yourself. And while we're talking about turning our children against each other, I'd like to mention that my own daughter doesn't even acknowledge me as her father anymore. Whose fault was that?"

"She spends more time with Viktor," Ginny argued.

"Because you won't let me see her!" Harry shouted. "I only get a few holidays a year and a week in the summer. If you're getting a month with the boys, then I should get a month with Lily."

"She doesn't want to stay with you."

"The boys don't want to stay with you," Harry stated bluntly, "but you're making me send them to you for a month. It's only fair that I get a Lily for a month."

"You've poisoned them against me!" Ginny yelled through the green flames. "That's why they don't like me anymore. It's all your fault."

Harry groaned in frustration. "I'm sick of arguing over this. If you want the boys for a month, then I get Lily for a month. That's my final word on the matter!"

"You can't do this," Ginny whined.

"Yes, I can. I'm sick of arguing."

"She'll hate you for this," she hissed. "I'll tell her this is all your fault."

"I know you will," Harry sighed, rubbing his brow tiredly. "And I don't care. Eventually she'll grow up and she'll realize that love doesn't have anything to do with getting to do whatever you want and having someone buy you everything your heart desires. How will you deal with her then, Ginny?"

With a huff his ex closed the floo connection and the formally green flames turned back to a bright orange. Harry stared at the flames for a few minutes, feeling shaky and sick. Each time he finished a conversation with Ginny it always felt as if he'd just fought a Death Eater.

"Is Master Harry alright?" Kreacher, his ancient house-elf, asked from the doorway of the sitting room.

Harry nodded. "I'm fine Kreacher, but I think I'll go visit Ron and Hermione."

"Of course, sir."

**dSz**

"She's insane!" Harry shouted as Ron opened the door to the flat he shared with Hermione. "Certifiable by St. Mungo's bleedin' mad, that's what she is!"

"Hermione!" Ron yelled. "Harry's here!"

Hermione strode into the living room, pinning her hair up as she went. Harry noticed that she was wearing a rather revealing red dress. He opened his mouth to comment on that, but then noticed that Ron was equally well dressed in a nice black suit. Suddenly he felt very guilty.

"I'm sorry," he groaned. "I'm a horrible friend. I completely forgot it's your anniversary."

Ron clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it mate, you've got a lot on your mind. I'm sorry about Ginny. I still don't understand why she turned into such a crazy b-witch." He corrected as Hermione glared.

"Ron, you shouldn't talk about your sister that way. I know she's hard to deal with, Harry, but you know it's due to her own insecurities. She's intimidated by you and for someone who's based their entire sense of self worth on the fact that they are independent and strong…well, that's a very frightening thing."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "But I would never do anything to hurt her and I only lost control that one time."

Hermione gave him a skeptical look. "You destroyed an entire wing of the house."

"She brought another man to my bed!" Harry shouted angrily, his magic causing the windows to shake threateningly. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "See, I'm getting better," he urged, "And I haven't destroyed anything since then."

"Harry, mate, go over to Mum and Dad's and have yourself a nice big dinner. Mum will dote on you, Dad will tell you some jokes and you'll feel ninety-nine percent better." Ron smiled and steered him toward the floo.

Harry shook his head. "I'll just apparate, you know I hate the floo." With a final apologetic wave to his friends, he disappeared with a pop.

"What a mess," Ron sighed. "I still don't get it. Ginny loved Harry ever since she was a little girl, then she gets him and doesn't want him. It just doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't make sense to us, but it does to her," Hermione explained. "I think she still loves Harry, but she's frightened of him."

"Harry's not scary," Ron argued. "Sure, his magic goes a bit wonky sometimes, but it's not his fault."

Hermione shook her head. "That's not what frightens Ginny. I think she's afraid of Harry because he has so much power in the wizarding world. Let's face it, if Harry suddenly decided that Ginny should never see their children again, it wouldn't take much for him to make it happen."

"But Harry would never do that!"

"Of course he wouldn't," she agreed. "But Ginny isn't the most logical person in the world."

**dSz**

Harry didn't head to the Weasley's. He knew if he went to the Burrow, Mr. Weasley would try and cheer him up and Mrs. Weasley would dote on him and stuff him full of sweets. But, at the moment, he didn't feel much like being cheerful and eating sugar. Instead he felt like he really wanted to continue to complain, rage and whine, and there was only one good place for him to do that.

"Aunt Petunia, are you home?" He called out as he unlocked the backdoor to Number 4, Privet Drive.

He and his Aunt had started to have a better relationship about 10 years ago after Vernon passed away. Harry had gone to the funeral and found only Aunt Petunia there. Aunt Marge, Vernon's sister, had passed away years ago from a heart-attack and Dudley was in prison for some petty crime. So Harry had stood next to Petunia and even held her hand as they planted Vernon in the ground. Surprisingly enough Petunia had invited him back to her house for tea and from then on they began to see each other quite regularly. He even brought the boys around to visit and Aunt Petunia would fill them up with sweets and spoil them with toys.

"Harry, is that you?" Petunia questioned, her back to him as she stood in front of the stove. "I was just about to make tea."

"Wonderful," Harry grunted. "I just got off the floo with Ginny. You wouldn't believe what she wanted to do now."

Petunia's lips pursed together in a tight line at mention of Harry's ex-wife. Hermione called it her Ginny face, since it was the expression she always had when someone mentioned the redhead. The years alone with only Harry to depend on for any kind of company had made her very protective of her nephew.

"That woman, she should have been happy that you even gave her the time of day, and now look how she treats you. And parading around the boys the way she does! Augusta sent me a paper from Germany with both boys pictures plastered on the front page with their mother grinning like a Cheshire cat. It makes me ill to think about them being used like that."

Another surprising thing about Petunia's return to Harry's life was her immediate friendship with Neville's grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. They'd met at a birthday party for the boys and got along like a house on fire. It wasn't really all too surprising, considering they're both highly judgmental people who spend most of their time gossiping.

"She wants to change Lily's name," Harry explained through gritted teeth. "Her first name."

The sound of a tea cup smashing against Petunia's nice, white linoleum floor echoed through the small kitchen. Harry waved his wand to repair the cup and then watched in fascination as his aunt slowly turned to face him, a strange look upon her face. He'd seen her annoyed before and even upset, but never as furious as she appeared to be now.

"That horrid, horrid woman," she shrieked angrily. "That she could come from such a wonderful family, but turn into such a sour thing, it makes me think that some people are born with bad blood." Harry gave her a dark look. "Not you of course, Harry. You know we were wrong to treat you the way we did when…" Aunt Petunia choked up a bit before taking a deep breath and carrying the tea tray to the table. "But look at you now, a good man and a wonderful father, even after everything you've been through, while that horrible woman you were with is so awful to you."

Harry smiled softly at his aunt, feeling a bit of warmth spread through him at the thought of someone taking up his banner and fighting for his side. It felt good to have someone commiserate with him regarding his ex-wife. He just couldn't do this with Hermione or Ginny's family, for obvious reasons.

"Of course I told her no," he stated assuredly. "When Lily's older, she can decide what she wants to do."

Petunia grimaced. "She spoils Lily just as we spoiled Dudley and you know how that turned out. In and out of prisons, getting into fights, wanted for this and that, it's a nightmare. Too much like his father, that's the real problem."

"Can't argue there," Harry agreed with an amused snort. He stirred a teaspoon of sugar into his tea and stared out the window wistfully. "I just don't understand where everything went wrong. What did I do? Was it because I wasn't there for her and the children enough? Was it my accidental magic? I just don't get it. We were so happy when we married, where did it go wrong?" He looked to his aunt for answers, but she merely sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"You'll drive yourself crazy with all the whys and what-if's," Petunia stated, shaking her head sadly at some random memory. "Tell me about the big surprise you wrote to me about just yesterday."

Harry's eyes lit up and he smiled wide. "You won't believe it, Aunt Petunia. I hardly believe it myself!"

**dSz**

"Isn't that Harry Potter's owl?" A voice questioned aloud.

Albus glanced up from his mashed potatoes in time to see his father's gigantic, snowy white owl, Tamasin, gracefully glide over the tables in the Great Hall. The large owl swooped down to the bench and stood still while Albus untied the envelope with his name on it. A second envelope hung from the owl's leg, that one was addressed to James and Tamasin flew off toward the Gryffindor table to make his next delivery.

"That's strange, isn't it?" Scorpius Malfoy questioned from across the table. "Your father doesn't usually send mail in the evening."

Albus grimaced at his friend. "I hope it isn't more bad news."

"Well, go on and open it," urged Scorpius.

Albus ripped open the envelope and watched two squares of paper fall to the table. He glanced at them curiously and then pulled out a small piece of parchment inside the envelope.

"It says that this is the first part of my Christmas present and I'll find out the second part when I read the Daily Prophet tomorrow." Albus reached down and picked up the two pieces of paper, then nearly dropped them in surprise. "Merlin's beard!"

"What is it?" Questioned Scorpius.

"Two tickets to the first Quidditch match of the season, the Holyhead Harpies versus the Chudley Cannons! You're going to go with me, aren't you Scorpius?"

Scorpius grabbed at the tickets and then stared down at them as if they were made of gold. "Of course I'm going; this will be the biggest match of the season besides the championship game."

"I wonder what the second part of the present is. What do you think it could be?"

"Who knows," Scorpius shrugged. "Knowing your father, it could be anything."

Maxwell Zabini leaned over to look at the tickets. "I'm so jealous right now. You'll have to tell me all about it."

Albus' brow furrowed as he remembered something he'd been trying to forget. "That's the same month that James and I have to go to our Mum's. She better not try and keep us from going."

Suddenly James popped up behind Albus. "I'll sneak out if she says we can't go. She has to let us go. There's no way Dad will let her keep us from going."

"I hope so," Albus agreed.

Albus worried on the tickets for the rest of the night. He was barely able to concentrate on his Transfiguration homework, which was not good, since Transfiguration is his very worst subject. When he wasn't worrying about whether his mother would let him go to the game or not, he was contemplating what the second part of the present would be. By breakfast time the next morning he was nearly jumping off the walls of Hogwarts with all his nervous energy. He wasn't at all prepared when James came running up to him with a Daily Prophet before he even made it to the Slytherin table.

"You won't believe this, Al! Merlin's balls, you won't believe this!" James continued to ramble excitedly as Albus snatched the Prophet from his trembling hands, nearly dropping it as he read the headline on page one.

"Potter signs with Holyhead Harpies," he read aloud. Standing next to him, Scorpius gasped in surprise and craned to look over his shoulder. "First male Harpy in history."

James grinned maniacally. "Mum is going to have a fit when she sees this."

"Wasn't your Mum a Harpy for a few years?" Scorpius questioned.

Albus nodded. "She was reserve chaser for a couple years, but quit when they never put her on the starting team."

"Bloody hell," murmured the blonde Slytherin. "Are you certain your father wasn't in Slytherin?"

Albus grinned. "The hat almost put him there, but he talked his way into Gryffindor because he met your Dad."

"No way!" Exclaimed Scorpius. "You're making that up!"

"Can we get back to the subject here?" James questioned, a gleeful smile plastered on his face. "Dad is the new starting Seeker for the Holyhead Harpies!"

Albus walked toward the Slytherin table in a daze. Voices called out to him, wishing his father good luck and congratulating him as well, even though he hadn't done anything at all. The Daily Prophet was still clutched in his white knuckles as Scorpius pushed him down to the bench.

"Give me that," Scorpius urged. "I want to read it aloud."

"Go ahead," Albus mumbled. The rest of the Slytherin table looked at him with concern.

Scorpius laughed. "Don't mind him, he's just in shock. Now, let's get back to this thrilling article. Page one, I do believe." He held up the paper for the rest of the second years to see.

"Read it," Maxwell urged.

"Ah hem," Scorpius cleared his throat with a regal air. "On Tuesday morning it was announced by Gwenog Jones, former Harpy and acting Harpies team manager, that the famous Harry Potter would be replacing Stella Croxton as starting seeker next season. This is doubly exciting news considering the Harpies have never in the history of their team had a male player in any position. When questioned about this, Gwenog merely said, 'It's a misconception that the Harpies are an all woman team. The Harpies pick the best players and they've just happened to be women, until now. We're happy to have Potter sign with us and we're sure that this next season will be the Harpies most memorable season yet.'" Scorpius stopped to sip his water and the second-years groaned.

"Come on Scorpius," Mindy Atwater urged. "We haven't got all day."

"Don't you all have your own Prophets you can read?" Albus questioned.

"Sure, but Scorpius reads it best," she replied with flushed cheeks.

Scorpius grinned. "Of course I will continue milady, now where was I. As many Quidditch fans may remember, Harry Potter's ex-wife Ginny Weasley (now Ginny Krum)," at the former Mrs. Potter's name the Slytherin's all booed, "was a reserve chaser for the Harpies, but quit after she did not make it on the starting team in the third season. Gwenog had this to say, 'Weasley was a great chaser, but she couldn't be patient and wait for a seat to open up.' When asked why the Boy-Who-Lived wouldn't be starting on the reserve team, she answered with, 'Are you bloody mad? Have you ever seen him play?"

The second-years all laughed at that and Albus chuckled dryly. Scorpius gave him a look of concern, but continued on with his reading.

"Potter's first test will be in the first match of the season, versus the Chudley Cannons. The Cannons have won three championships in a row and their players are all well-seasoned veterans on the pitch. I asked Oliver Wood, Cannons Keeper and acting manager, if he had any thoughts regarding Potter's foray into professional Quidditch. His reply was short and succinct. 'Get off my pitch.'"

Everyone laughed again and this time Albus couldn't help but join in. He knew he should be happy for his Dad and excited that he'd have a professional Quidditch player for a father, but for some reason all he could think about was his mother. How was she taking all of this? Albus figured not very well, and that didn't bode well for James and him when they went to stay with her in the summer.

"The first match of the season isn't until June 5th," Scorpius continued reading. "But I know I'll be dusting off my Harpies pennant long before then. I hope to see you all at Cannon stadium for the first game of what looks to be one hell of a Quidditch season!" Scorpius ended with a flourish and the group all clapped.

"You should be happy Albus," Maxwell urged.

Albus ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture that James and he had both picked up from their father. "I am happy for my Dad; I'm just worried about how my Mum's going to take it."

**dSz**

Ginny glared down at the Prophet, her knuckles white and her hands shaking. She threw the paper down angrily and tore up the picture of Harry smiling and waving as he stood next to Gwenog Jones. How could he? How could he when he knew that playing for the Harpies had been her dream for most of her life? That bastard, he did it on purpose. He used his clout to get on the starting team just to spite her. She should have known he'd eventually do something like this considering he nearly ended up in Slytherin.

"Ginny, are you okay?" Victor questioned as he entered the large dining room. He took a seat across from her at one end of the long, wooden table.

"I'm fine," she snapped. "Just reading today's Prophet."

Victor's brow raised in shocked surprise as he noticed the shredded newspaper. "Reading it or trying to eat it?" He flicked his wand and the paper repaired itself. With wide eyes he read the front page. "So Potter has finally decided to play Quidditch, took him long enough."

"What?" Ginny glared at him confusion.

"I knew he would the first time I saw him on a broom. He's a natural."

"They put him on the starting team," complained Ginny. "Just because he's Harry freaking Potter. I stuck it out two years on the reserves with no end in sight."

"There wasn't an open starting position," Victor stated calmly. "They told you there wouldn't be for a few years."

Ginny nodded and picked at her toast. "But I was an excellent player. I was sure they'd move me to the starting team as soon as they saw what I could do. They never gave me a chance."

Victor sighed and didn't argue. Instead he merely held up the Daily Prophet and read the rest of the article. He could feel Ginny's intense glare burning a hole through the paper, right into his head.

"Mum, is there any toast?" A soft voice questioned from the doorway.

Ginny smiled at her only daughter. "Of course there is dear, come sit down."

"Good morning Marie," Victor greeted as he folded the paper and laid it on the table next to his plate.

"Morning Dad," she answered. "Is that the Prophet?" She grabbed up the paper and her eyes widened at the front page. "Wow, Harry is going to be starting Seeker for the Harpies! I can't believe it."

"Yes, I suppose it pays to be Harry Potter," Ginny remarked snidely.

Victor sent her a glare. "Ginny," he warned quietly and Lily frowned.

"Do you really think he got picked because of who he is?"

Ginny opened her mouth to respond but Victor interrupted. "No, that's not why he was picked. Your father is a great Quidditch player and a natural on a broom. I'm sure he'll play wonderfully."

Just then a large, snowy owl swooped into the room. It was an impressive bird and Ginny still found herself in awe of it every time it flew through her window. Tied to its leg was a letter addressed to Lily.

"It's Harry's owl," Lily stated. "Hello Tamasin." She greeted the owl while offering it a bit of bacon. Tamasin plucked the bacon from her fingers and dutifully waited for her to untie the letter.

Ginny was on edge while Lily read the letter. She knew what it was regarding and she knew there would be an outburst coming soon. Lily would not be happy to learn she'd be spending a month at her Father's home.

"A month!" Lily exclaimed. She glared at her mother. "I have to stay a month with him and the boys are coming here. I don't want to spend a month with Harry. I've already made plans for this summer. Natalie and I were going to take a trip to Paris with her parents."

"I know dear," Ginny stated. "But Harry really would like to spend some time with you this summer."

"I won't go! It's not fair. He can't just tell me what to do. He can't make me go."

"Marie, don't get so upset." Ginny tried her best to calm down her daughter. "It won't be so bad."

"Won't be so bad! It's terrible and I won't go!"

A loud thud echoed through the dining room and both Lily and Ginny started in surprise. Victor was sitting like a statue on the other side of the table, an angry expression on his normally emotionless face. His hand was still squeezed into a tight ball and his water glass had overturned from the vibration of his fist slamming into the table top.

"That is enough," he whispered in a dangerous tone. "You will be going to visit your father and that is that. I will not hear anymore whining and crying about it, from either of you!"

Lily's eyes filled with tears and she ran from the room, her wailing echoing from the high ceiling as she went. Ginny turned to Victor, ready for a fight, but immediately backed down when she saw the cold look in his eyes.

"I've never stepped in before, because Lily is your daughter," Victor explained. "But if she is going to claim me as her Father, then she will not embarrass me in such a way. I wish to have a daughter I can be proud of, not a spoiled brat."

Ginny's own eyes grew cold at that last statement. "How dare you!" She threw her napkin to the table and stood to leave. "That is my daughter you are talking about." She rushed out to find her daughter as Victor calmly lifted his fork and finished his breakfast.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of the floo flaring to life downstairs jerked Harry out of the deep sleep he'd been enjoying. Immediately he pulled out his wand and slowly made his way to his bedroom door. He cast a silencing spell on his feet and crept down the hallway, stopping near the landing at the top of the stairs. The floo flared again and Harry swore under his breath.

"Harry, are you awake?" He heard Hermione's voice call out from the sitting room and he sighed with relief.

"I'm awake!" He called out. He stumbled down the steps, wiping sleep from his eyes as he went. He definitely wasn't prepared for what happened next.

"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted as he entered the sitting room.

Two large hands grasped Harry's arms and a blur of red followed as his best friend planted a big, wet kiss squarely on his lips. Ron then followed it up with one on each cheek. Harry tried to pull away, but was swept up into a famous Weasley-style hug. For a moment he thought he felt his feet leave the floor.

"Good morning to you too," Harry grinned. His expression sobered as he turned toward Hermione. "Sorry Hermione, but Ron and I are running away together."

Hermione put the back of her hand to her forehead. "O, whatever shall I do," she moaned.

Ron was completely ignoring their banter. "I can't believe it," he whispered, shaking Harry's arms roughly. "My best friend is a Harpy! I thought it was a big deal when you defeated Voldemort, but this Harry," he paused and stared directly into Harry's eyes, "this is huge."

"Leave it to you Ron to put Quidditch above the safety and security of the world," Harry chuckled.

"Quidditch is his world," snorted Hermione. She took a seat on one of the chairs and gave Harry a pointed look. "Care to explain what happened? Just the other day you were still Head Auror and you seemed happy. Why the sudden change?"

Harry sighed and pulled away from Ron before plopping onto the sofa. "Because I needed a change. This is going to sound incredibly stupid, but being an Auror just doesn't thrill me like it used to. Most crime is white collar now and I spend more time doing paperwork and going to court then I do tracking down dark wizards."

Hermione reached out and squeezed his hand. "But you knew it would be like that eventually."

"I know, but I thought once things quieted down I would have a family to keep me busy. Now the boys are at school and Lily's with Ginny." He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. "Quidditch just seemed like a fun thing to do. It all started as a laugh really. I was at the Leaky one night and Gwenog came in. We drank a few rounds and one thing lead to another."

Ron's jaw dropped. "Harry, did you sleep with Gwenog Jones? Because if you did you would be three times my hero right now."

"No!" Harry exclaimed. "I did not sleep with Gwenog. I just meant that we started talking about Quidditch and things. She told me that she was going to be short a Seeker, I mentioned that I used to play Seeker and suddenly I had a tryout scheduled with the Harpies. I think it will be good for me and the boys. Quidditch has a demanding schedule, but at least it's a schedule. As an auror, I was in and out of here all the time, most of the time without notice. I had to work late so many nights. Maybe if I hadn't been so busy all the time…" His voice trailed off and Hermione gave him a concerned look.

"That's not the reason she left you," Hermione assured him. "Maybe that was one of the reasons, but you know it wasn't the only one. You two were just never right for each other."

Ron nodded his head in agreement. "Like oil and water mate. I don't understand it myself. You two seemed so close."

"We weren't," Harry admitted. "We tried to be after the war, but we were always just hanging by a thread."

"You didn't do this to hurt her, did you?" Hermione questioned and Harry sent her a glare. "Well, you know she always wanted to be a Harpy and now here you are, the first male Harpy ever and starting Seeker. It just seems a little planned."

"It is a little Slytherin of you," added Ron.

Harry stared at his hands. Did he do it on purpose? It didn't seem like he had meant to do anything at all, everything had just fallen into place. He supposed a lot of people would think he was trying to hurt her, perhaps Ginny even thought he'd done it to hurt her.

"Maybe I should talk to her," he suggested. "I don't want her to think I did it on purpose."

Ron grimaced. "Not the best idea. It will probably just make things worse."

Harry looked to Hermione; she always had the best answers to life's problems.

"I think Ron's right," she agreed. "Best leave it for now. Perhaps she'll come for Christmas and you can talk to her then. And I want you to really try to talk to her, not just fight with her."

"She always starts it," argued Harry and Hermione pursed her lips tightly.

"She may start it, but you like to stoke the flames. I think that is the biggest problem you two had. You've both been fighting all your lives so you think any kind of conflict is a battle."

**dSz**

"Ginny, are you in here?" Victor questioned the seemingly empty library.

A head shot out from amongst the shelves. "I'm back here, just looking for a book."

Victor made his way toward his wife and noticed that there were multiple books strewn across one of the desks. They all seemed to be albums full of photographs. Some old, some new, but most of them appeared to be taken at the Weasley's.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked as he came up behind her.

"Looking for a spell," she explained. "I want to make copies of all my photo albums."

Victor scanned the shelf in front of her and then reached around to grab a large, dusty book.

"It should be in here."

Ginny flipped through the book as she made her way back to the desk full of albums. Victor grabbed one and began looking at the different moving pictures. One caught his eye immediately. It was Harry Potter standing next to James and Albus. Harry was smiling confidently, while James grinned in a cocky sort of way. Albus would smile shyly at the camera before looking up at his father and brother with adoring eyes. Even though James' hair was red and not black, all three seemed like different versions of the same person.

"I can't believe how much James and Albus look like their father," he commented aloud.

"They look alike and act alike," Ginny agreed. "Well, they don't exactly act alike. I think James is more like his namesake and Albus is more like Harry. I always hoped when I had a little girl she would be just like me."

"She does look like you. You both have the same hair and the same freckles." Victor leaned over and kissed her on the nose. "I have always loved your freckles."

Ginny blushed. "She does look a lot like me." Her grin turned to a frown.

"What is wrong?" Victor questioned as Ginny slowly sat down on the floor. Victor followed her and reached out to take her hand.

"She's nothing like me," explained Ginny. "I always wanted to give her everything, all the things that I never had, and now she's nothing like me at all. I know you think she's spoiled and perhaps she is, but I just want her to be happy."

Victor nodded. "I understand. Every parent wants their child to have an easier life. But you had a hard life and you were happy, weren't you?"

A sour look crossed Ginny's face. "I was never happy," she admitted without a trace of guilt. "I love my family, but I was never happy. We never had enough of anything, when there were so many other families who had so much of everything. I was angry all the time at my parents for having so many children, even though if they hadn't, then I wouldn't be here. I always felt as if I had to fight for everything."

"You did and it made you strong," Victor agreed. "That's another thing I love about you, but you need to realize that not everything has to be a fight."

"I know, but I feel like I have to stick up for myself."

"You feel like that with Harry?"

Ginny nodded and gripped his hand tightly. "I feel like I have to fight him because he's so powerful. He's powerful in so many ways and I feel like I can't keep up. He has the whole world at his feet and he has my boys completely enamored with him, while they hate me."

Victor pulled her into a one-armed hug and kissed the top of her head.

"O my sweet, you are so wrong. Those boys love you just as much they love their father, but they are teenagers and they are angry."

"Angry at me," Ginny interrupted. "They think I betrayed Harry."

"You did," Victor said bluntly. "But that is in the past now and you have to let it go. You both did and said many hurtful things, but now those times are over. It's time to move on. I think staying with your family for a couple days over the Christmas holiday would be a good start."

"But they hate me," groaned Ginny. "Harry is like a son to them and I hurt him so badly. I did the most evil thing that I could have done and then I left him and the boys. My family can't forgive that."

"I think they forgave it a long time ago, but you haven't forgiven yourself. You have to stop hating yourself before you drive everyone away."

Ginny pushed up from the floor and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. Victor waited for her response. He knew she would either say yes or no. Ginny never said things like 'I'll think on it'. She was very decisive that way, another thing Victor loved.

"You're right, we should go. I'll write to Mum and see what their plans are for the holidays."

**dSz**

James sat in the Gryffindor common room, staring into the fireplace. The flames flickered and flared. It was late, so the room was empty. Usually James would be fast asleep by this time of night, but a strange dream had disturbed him and now he couldn't go back to his bed.

In the dream he'd been very young and Albus had been even younger. They'd both been wearing their winter coats and pants. His mother had decided to take them to the play park down the road, where there was a gigantic sledding hill. James was so excited that he could hardly sit still. Even Albus, who was only around two at the time, had seemed excited about the trip. Then quite suddenly, everything had been ruined.

"_Where are you taking the boys?" His father's voice questioned from out of nowhere. James looked up to see his father's head floating in the fireplace, an angry scowl on his face._

"_O Harry," his mother gasped, placing a hand on her chest. "You scared the life out of me. I was just taking the boys to do some sledding down at the park."_

_His father gave her an annoyed look. "I told you I don't like you taking them down there. It isn't safe with Death Eaters still roaming about."_

_His mother sighed before shooing him and Albus toward the kitchen. "Watch your brother," she said and James had nodded._

_As soon as they were in the kitchen he'd sat Albus down on the floor and told him to be very quiet. James snuck to the door and pressed his cheek against the wood. He knew he wasn't supposed to listen in on conversations, but he wanted to know if they were still going sledding._

"_You can't keep us locked away here forever," said his mother._

"_I just want them to be safe. Don't you care about their safety?"_

"_I want them to be happy, not just safe! We weren't always safe."_

_There was silence for a moment. "I won't have my sons put into danger."_

"_They're my sons too and I am taking them sledding!"_

"_Why do you always have to fight with me," his father shouted and James flinched. He hated it when his parents raised their voices. "Can't you ever just listen to me? You never take anything seriously. Dolohov and Nott escaped capture for the second time. They are dangerous and they have a fairly good idea of the general location of my home. Doesn't that worry you in the slightest?"_

"_What do you want to do Harry? Shall we go under Fidelius. It worked so well for your parents?"_

_Another minute passed in silence and his father must have said something too quiet to be heard through the door because a moment later his mother said, "Fine, we'll play in the backyard." James had cried at the injustice of it all. Then Albus had started to cry and then his mum came in to the kitchen and she was crying too._

James tried to shake his head to get rid of the memory of the dream, but it stayed lodged in place. It was hard to remember what his father had been like back then. That man seemed to be completely different from the laidback man his father was now. Now he couldn't imagine his life without his dad.

"Can't sleep?" A timid voice questioned. He looked up to see Rose Weasley standing at the bottom of the staircase leading to the girls' dorm. A long, Gryffindor colored robe was wrapped around her tiny frame.

"Bad dream," he replied. "You?"

She held out a large book. "I thought I'd do some reading and I didn't want to bother anyone upstairs."

James nodded and motioned for her to sit next to him on the sofa.

"Do you want to talk about it? I know I'm only a second year, but that doesn't mean I can't listen."

"Do you think it's wrong that I sometimes miss my Mum?" He blurted out quickly.

Rose mulled over the question before answering. "No, I don't think it's wrong. She's your mother and you love her."

James ran a shaky hand through his hair. "But I don't feel like I should because she hurt my Dad, but then sometimes I think I should be mad at my Dad because maybe it's his fault she left, and sometimes I don't know what to think. You know?"

Rose shook her head, causing her red curls to bounce. "I have no idea how you're feeling because I'm not in your situation. Your parents are divorced and mine aren't, but that doesn't mean that you can't love both your parents just like I love mine. If your parents can't get along, that's their problem."

"But Mum cheated on Dad and then left us," James snapped. "How can I love her after that?"

"She didn't leave you, she left your Dad. It had nothing to do with you James." She squeezed his shoulder. "Sometimes people can't get along. It's sad that you and your siblings got caught in the middle of it, but that's just the way things are. I think you should try and make the best out of a bad situation."

"How'd you get so smart?" James questioned and Rose grinned. "I just feel like there's no way to win. If I like my Dad, then I hurt my Mum and if I like my Mum, then I hurt my Dad."

"That's not the correct way to think about these things," Rose chastised. "Life is not just a game full of winners and losers, bad guys and good guys, there's more to it than that. Complicated things should be broken down into simple parts, so let's do that."

James gave her a confused look. Rose's brain always seemed to be ten steps ahead of everyone else.

"The mess between your parents is complicated, but we can sort out the simple facts. Fact number one, you love your Father," Rose held up one finger. "Fact two, you love your Mother." Another finger went up. "Fact three, your parents do not get along. Now logically speaking, these facts have nothing to do with one another. One does not lead to the other, they are completely separate facts."

"I think you're losing me."

Rose huffed. "I'm not done yet. Fact four, you sometimes dislike your Mother. Fact five, you sometimes dislike your Father. I will freely admit that these two facts are the same for everyone, even me. No one likes someone all the time. Once in awhile they will do something that you don't agree with or something that makes you angry. So what conclusion can we draw from these facts."

James shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I love my parents, but sometimes I don't like what they do. They don't get along, but that doesn't really have anything to do with me."

"Exactly," said Rose. "You aren't much different than every other child in the world, except your parents are divorced which is not common in the wizarding world. In the muggle world it is actually quite common."

"Really?" Rose nodded and James gave her a tiny smile. "It's good to know that I'm not the only one."

"Rarely is anyone the only one," she explained. "There are just too many people in the world for anyone to be the only one going through something." She patted his leg. "You better go on to bed now. I hope I was a bit helpful."

James grinned. "You were. I feel loads better now. Slightly confused, but still better. Thanks Rosie." He gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Don't call me Rosie!" She hissed while wiping her cheek. James continued to grin all the way up to his shared bedroom.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Strange reviews on this one. Everyone calm down. It's only a fanfic. I didn't really pull Harry and Ginny from an alternate universe and force them to get divorced. Most of my stories do not follow canon, a couple are completely AU, and I've never had anyone get upset over it. Also, I've read plenty of stories with Harry and Ginny where they are not romantically involved yet the characters listed are Harry P and Ginny W. I did not say in the summary that it is HP/GW, but they are the main characters, which is why it is listed as a Harry P and Ginny W fic. Also, I do think Ginny is in character, if her character had gone through a bad relationship and a divorce. This story is about a family that has gone through a divorce. **

**No, it is not going to be HP/GW or I would have put it in the summary. Harry and Ginny are not suddenly going to fall back in love or any such nonsense. **

**Harry didn't fight for custody of Lily, because he is not a jerk and even though Ginny hurt him, she is still the mother of his children. This is not a story where Harry is a great guy and Ginny is a horrible girl who hurt him. I want this story to be a little more real than that. People are going to say things they don't mean, hurt each other on purpose and do things that they wish they hadn't, just like people do in real relationships.  
**

**Harry will eventually be dating in this story. I'm not going to say who, you'll just have to wait and see.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Healer Delrice will see you now Mrs. Krum."

Ginny's head shot up from the copy of The Daily Prophet she'd been hiding behind. The small, contemporary styled waiting room had only two other occupants, but their heads both turned at the sound of her name. The wizard gave her a once over with wide eyes, while the witch in the room glared icily.

"Here, I can take that," the receptionist reached out to take her traveling cloak.

"Thank you," Ginny whispered softly.

She was directed down a narrow hallway painted in soft shades of green. The colors were meant to be relaxing, but she didn't feel very relaxed at the moment. Instead she felt like turning tail and running back to her safe home, curling up with a book and forgetting all about this horrible experience.

"Hello Mrs. Krum, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Healer Delrice."

A hand was held out in front of her, causing Ginny to start with surprise. Somehow she had made it all the way to the end of the hall and was standing in a doorway. Her cheeks flushed as she realized how silly she must look with her mouth hanging open and a vacant expression on her face.

"Hello," Ginny greeted quietly.

Healer Delrice smiled and his brown eyes crinkled behind his thick, square glasses. He was dressed in thick, forest green robes with smart black shoes. A thick brown beard framed his chin and his shoulder-length, brown hair was pulled back into a short ponytail.

"Please, have a seat." He motioned toward a brown leather chair and Ginny slowly moved across the room to sit. Just as her backside was about to hit the cushion, she shot up to her feet.

"I don't know why I'm here," she admitted. "I think I should just go. I don't belong here."

Surprisingly enough Delrice didn't try to stop her; instead he merely clasped his hands behind his back and tracked her progress with amused eyes. Ginny stopped at the door, hand poised over the knob. Why had she come here? Surely there had been a reason for making the appointment. She hesitated further and let her hand drop to her side.

"Please, take a seat," Healer Delrice urged once more. "Stay for one session. If you decide it doesn't suit you, then you need not return."

Ginny nodded before heading toward the chair, her head bowed to hide her embarrassment.

"There's no reason to be embarrassed," the healer advised, taking the seat across from her. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

"Well, my name is Ginny Krum, formerly Ginny Weasley, I'm sure you've heard of me."

The Healer nodded. "I have, but let's pretend that I've never heard a whit. So again, tell me about yourself."

"I'm married to Victor Krum, he plays Quidditch for the Bigonville Bombers. He's a Beater now, but he used to be a Seeker when he was younger."

"Ginny," Healer Delrice interrupted. "I said I want to hear about you."

Ginny grimaced nervously. "Of course, well, I'm divorced and I have three children, but you already know that. I was married to Harry Potter for about ten years and we have two boys and a girl together."

"And do you have a job?"

"Not at the moment," Ginny replied. "I played Quidditch for a couple years after I graduated from Hogwarts, but I got sick of being on the reserves, then I had James and none of that seemed to matter anymore." The Healer wrote something in the little notepad resting on his knee. She was surprised to see him use a pen instead of a quill. "May I ask a question?"

"Of course," he smiled.

"Are you muggle-born?"

Healer Delrice gave her a confused look before he noticed where her eyes were focused. He spun the pen around his fingertips and grinned.

"I suppose this gives it away," he answered. "Never really got used to quills and parchment, just seemed too old fashioned for my taste."

"My Dad is nuts for all things muggle. My Mum was always worried about what he would bring home next. Once, when I was young, he charmed a car to fly, ended up getting him into a mess of trouble."

"Ginny," the Healer interrupted. "You're getting off track again. Tell me more about what happened after you had your first son James."

Ginny reached up and began playing with a lock of her hair. It was something she usually did when she felt nervous or anxious. Talking about James always made her uncomfortable and she felt utterly horrible for it.

"When James was born, I was still rather young. I wasn't expecting to have children so soon. I had planned everything out in my head. First I would graduate and right after I'd marry Harry. I'd be the best Chaser Holyhead had ever seen and Harry would be a great Auror. After I'd played for ten years or so, I'd retire and become a Quidditch reporter for the Prophet. Harry would be Head of the Auror Department. We'd have our first son and everything would be perfect."

"But things didn't go as planned?"

Ginny shook her head. "Harry had health problems after the war. At first we all thought it was all in his head, you know? Carrying Voldemort around with him for so many years had to have done something to him. He had these days where he couldn't get out of bed and then the next day he'd have so much energy that I thought he was going to burst out of his skin." She glanced around the room nervously, suddenly not at all sure that she should be speaking about such things to a total stranger.

"I assure you, these sessions are completely private. I am under a magical oath not to divulge anything you tell me. The only way around such an oath is if I surmise by what you tell me, that someone could be injured or killed." The healer gave her a warm smile. "I can understand why you would be wary. I have quite a few clients your age who have trust issues. War does that to people. It makes them paranoid and for good reason. Please continue."

"Okay. About a year after the war was over, we decided to get married. Harry's health seemed to be improving and we were happy. Then, about a week after our wedding, there was a terrible accident. Harry fell from his broom and hit his head. It happened at the Burrow. All of my brothers were playing Quidditch along with Harry and me and suddenly he just slipped from his broom. It was so unexpected that we just watched him fall. I still feel horrible about it." Ginny sobbed and dropped her face into her hands.

Remembering that day was so difficult. It had been such a beautiful day. The sun was shining and everyone was having a good time. Even Teddy had been there, sitting on a quilt listening to Hermione tell him stories from Beadle the Bard. Harry seemed like his old self again and for the first time since the war had ended, everything seemed right. Then she'd seen Harry's hands slip from his broom. She thought he was about to perform some daring maneuver, but she looked up at his face and his eyes had rolled up into his head. He'd tipped to the side and fell like a rock.

"Do you believe the accident was your fault?" Healer Delrice questioned, his tone patient and kind.

Ginny nodded. "It was. I saw him falling and I didn't think to draw my wand or try anything. None of us did. Even Hermione, who was always quick with spells, didn't get to him until it was too late."

"Do you believe it was your duty to save him?"

"Of course," she grumbled. "Harry just saved the world, the least we could do was save him from a fall off his broom."

"And why exactly did he fall off his broom?"

Again she took a long look around the room, but this time she also pulled out her wand. The healer watched calmly as she cast as many detection charms as she could think of.

"Sorry, I just can't take a chance that someone might overhear us." The healer nodded in understanding. "At the time the Healers couldn't figure out what had happened. Harry said he blacked out and couldn't remember anything before the accident. He didn't even remember going to the Burrow that day."

"Some sort of amnesia then?"

"We thought so, but then strange things started happening. We were living at Grimmauld Place and things in the house would disappear without warning. Days, sometimes weeks later, they'd suddenly reappear. At first we thought it was Kreacher, Harry's house elf, but when Harry questioned him, he said he hadn't touched anything."

"How did you feel while this was going on?" The Healer questioned, not looking up from his notepad.

Ginny fidgeted with the edge of her robes, feeling uncomfortable about speaking about herself.

"I suppose I was stressed. I was on the reserve team for the Harpies, but I felt bad for leaving Harry at home. He was trying to get through Auror training, but his magic was causing him problems. More strange things began to happen in the house. One morning the kitchen tap spat out pumpkin juice instead of water. Another morning I awoke to find all of the furniture stuck to the ceiling. For awhile we thought the house might be haunted, but we tried every spell and couldn't find any ghosts. Then one morning I woke up to find Harry floating above the bed."

"How did that make you feel?"

Ginny's eyes opened wide. "How do you think it made me feel? I was frightened. I had no idea what was going on with my husband. When I woke him, he dropped down to the bed and tried to act like nothing happened, but I demanded that he go to St. Mungo's. I knew accidental magic in adults could indicate something serious."

Healer Delrice looked up from his notepad. "And just how did you know this?"

"After the war I spent a lot of time reading books about spell damage. One of the symptoms is accidental magic. I knew Harry had to have some damage after he was hit with another killing curse. Coming back from the dead has to leave some kind of mark."

The Healer's notepad slipped from his lap and hit the carpeted floor with a soft thump. Ginny looked up to find the man staring at her slack-jawed. It took her a moment to reason out why, but when she did she slapped a hand over her mouth. Tears filled her eyes as she realized what she'd just said.

"Do you mean to tell me that Harry Potter died and returned to life?"

Ginny shook her head. "Just forget it, forget I said anything." She clenched her hands into tight fists. "I am the worst friend imaginable. I can't believe I just told you that."

"No, don't feel guilty. That's what these sessions are for, getting out what needs to be said. Remember this is all confidential." He picked up his notepad from the floor and ran a hand through his beard. "I'm sorry for my reaction, but you caught me off guard. I must ask, did Mr. Potter visit any type of Mind Healer after the war?"

"Only when I finally forced him," Ginny explained sadly. "He didn't want to go and I still feel terrible for making him."

"But why? It sounds like you were trying to help someone you cared for, why do you feel guilt for doing what was right?"

"St. Mungo's didn't know how to help him. They kept him for observation and when they were done running all of their tests, they shipped him to the Department of Mysteries. Those horrible Ministry people did terrible things. They said they would try to help him, but really they just wanted to experiment on him. When it was all done, he did have a little more control, but all of their spells and potions had a side effect. Harry was sterile, or at least that's what the Healer's thought." The next part was said so quietly that Healer Delrice had to lean forward to catch it. "He blamed me," she whispered and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

The bell on the desk chimed twice, signaling that their first session had come to an end.

**dSz**

Harry hummed as he strolled happily down Diagon Alley. The sound of snow crunching under his boots brought him good cheer. Christmas was soon here which meant his boys would be home and his nights at Grimmauld Place would be filled with laughter and chatter instead of the ticking of antique clocks and creaking of old wood.

Every Christmas he liked to take his time finding the absolute perfect present for each person on his list. Even though he knew it was a leftover product of his upbringing, he still had a tendency to equate gifts with love. Not that he expected others to get him great gifts in order to show him their love and care, but he did feel that he was obligated to give them something to show his. After all these years, he still had difficulty knowing his own worth.

A charming display in the window of Totter's Toys caused him to stop in his tracks. He stood for a few minutes, watching quietly from his place behind the happy families. It was a magical dollhouse with magical dolls. He thought of Lily for a moment, but then remembered she was much too old for dolls.

"Is that what you'd like for Christmas, Potter?" A haughty voice questioned at his right. He rolled his eyes and turned.

"Hello Malfoy," he greeted with a small smile. Draco still loved to play the part of snotty Slytherin with Harry, even though the man's entire reputation hinged on his relationship with said Gryffindor.

Draco examined the end of his cane. "I haven't received your RSVP for the annual New Year's party."

"Why would I send an RSVP when the charity ball is for a charity that I helped create? You know I'll be there."

"Excuse me for believing Gryffindors could have some propriety," the blonde huffed, his mouth curling in a small smile. "Besides, I thought you might have a plus one this year." Harry opened his mouth to reply, but Draco beat him to it. "Yes, yes, I know. You're not ready yet. Merlin's beard Potter; it's been years since the divorce. When Scorpius' mother passed away, I waited only a year before getting back on the broom. I could always have Daphne set you up with one of her girlfriends."

He noticed that Draco still couldn't say Pansy's name, even after she'd been gone for a good eight years now. Harry supposed it still hurt the man to think about the woman who abandoned him and his son. Even that night when Harry had responded to the emergency fire call for Malfoy Manor, Draco had merely pointed to the bathroom and said 'His mother is in there' whilst cradling a tiny Scorpius in his shaking arms. She hadn't been able to cope with the way the world had changed, so she'd taken the easy way out.

"I don't need to be setup," Harry stated and grimaced at the man's knowing look. "I can do just fine on my own."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You've only ever dated one woman and I don't even know if you can call that dating. Fighting Death Eaters is not a romantic evening for most women."

Harry couldn't help it, he laughed. "I didn't know you were so worried about my love life Malfoy."

Draco's expression turned serious. "No one should be alone for as long as you've been. You have until the day after Christmas to find a date, or else I'll have Daphne find one for you. Get cracking Potter." He turned swiftly and strode away, reminding Harry of the man's father for a moment.

By the time Harry made it home, the clock on the mantle said nine o'clock and Kreacher was standing in the dining room looking fairly put out. A hearty looking meal of roast and potatoes sat cold on the table.

"Master Harry should tell Kreacher when he's going to be late. Kreacher has made all this food for Master and now it has gone to waste."

"I'm sorry Kreacher, time just got away from me. Next time I'll try to let you know when I'm going to miss dinner."

The house-elf glared at him with beady eyes for a moment before snapping his knobby fingers. The meal disappeared and the elf stalked off. Harry was beginning to wonder if Kreacher wasn't becoming his substitute wife. He shuddered at the thought. Maybe Draco was right, it is time to get back on the broom.

"Harry, are you in?" Hermione's voice called from the sitting room.

"Yes, I just got back from Diagon," he called out as he stepped into the room to find Hermione's head floating in the fireplace. "Come on through."

Hermione stepped gracefully from the fireplace and her eyes took a quick scan of the room. "Someone's been busy," she commented, gesturing to the large collection of brightly covered bags and boxes.

"Just a little Christmas shopping," Harry shrugged and Hermione shook her head.

"You don't need to buy so much every year. A little heartfelt something or other would do such fine."

Harry blushed. "I know, but I can't help it. What brings you here so late?"

Hermione took a seat on the sofa. "I was wondering if you'd bought anything for Lily yet." Harry shook his head. "Well, I might have an idea. I stopped over to talk to Ginny today, but she wasn't home, so I had tea with Lily. She's very upset about staying with you for a month over the summer."

"It's Ginny," Harry interrupted wildly. "She's always putting all kinds of ideas into Lily's head. Did you hear about her and her husband wanting to change my daughter's name?"

Hermione sighed. "I know this is hard for you to believe, but Lily is her own person and not everything she says or does is controlled by her mother. She has her own wants and needs. The reason she's angry about this summer is due to the fact that she already had plans to spend the month in Paris with her friend Nicole."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't know. I just thought she was being obstinate."

"Well, I think this will be the perfect opportunity to show her that she's not just a chess piece to be won or lost."

"That's not why I want her to stay the month," Harry complained. "I thought it would be good for us to spend more than a weekend together. Maybe if we spent more time together then she wouldn't hate me quite so much."

"O Harry," Hermione sighed, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Lily doesn't hate you, but ruining her summer plans doesn't exactly win you any points either."

"So, what should I do?"

"Compromise, of course," she grinned before handing him a slip of paper. "Nicole's address," she explained.

Harry grinned. "You really are the smartest witch of our age, you know that?"


	4. Chapter 4

A thin shaft of afternoon sunlight glowed across the dormitory floor as Albus packed his trunk. The light was fake of course. The Sltyherin dormitory being in the dungeon and all, it would have to be. Across the room Scorpius packed his own truck, making sure everything went in just so.

"So, we'll be spending Christmas Eve with your muggle Aunt then?" Scorpius flipped the latch on his trunk before turning to sit on his four poster bed.

"My great-aunt," Albus corrected. "She's great though. Always has a load of muggle video games for us to play and she usually takes us all out to the theater to see a movie." Scorpius' nose scrunched up at the thought of doing something so muggle. "Trust me, it'll be awesome. Then the next day we'll go to the Weasley's as usual."

"Where I'll finally get to meet your dear mother and sister," Scorpius interjected, smirking at the other boy's discomfort. "Come now, they can't be all that bad."

"They're not. I'm just worried it'll be really uncomfortable."

Scorpius sighed. "I suppose it won't be full of the usual Weasley cheer. It'll still be much better than being at Malfoy Manor. Christmas Eve was never a cheery affair."

Albus chewed his lip, not knowing exactly what to say. "Don't you ever miss your parents on Christmas?"

Scorpius laughed. "Of course not, can you imagine my father getting into the Christmas spirit? Christmas Eve is bad enough. My grandmother sits like a statue while my father sips a glass of wine. Daphne's not too bad though. One year we snuck out after everyone had gone to bed and made snowmen in the back garden."

"Doesn't it bother you though?" Questioned Albus.

"No," Scorpius shook his head. "Look, I love my father, but even he knows that he has the emotional range of a teaspoon. I'm nothing like him and glad for it." He exchanged a grin with Albus. "Besides, I would never miss out on Mrs. Weasley's Christmas dinner!"

Albus laughed with his friend, but he still had that gnawing feeling in his stomach. He'd only been five when his parents had divorced, so he barely remembered a time when they weren't hostile to one another. Everything was always a fight and he and his siblings were always smack dab in the middle of it.

The next morning dawned clear and bright. A light snow had fallen overnight blanketing the grounds of Hogwarts' with a sparkling white glaze. Albus and Scorpius joined their fellow second year Slytherins in their usual compartment on the Express. Albus was actually quite excited about going home. Christmas holiday was always the best time of year. He would help his Dad and James decorate the house, then Scorpius would come to stay and they'd have the best times together.

"Did everyone get their shopping done for Christmas?" Mindy Atwater questioned. She pushed a lock of blonde hair from her blue eyes before smiling shyly at Scorpius.

Albus chuckled as he noticed a hint of red on his friend's cheeks. He nudged the blonde and Scorpius nudged him back.

"I got all mine done," Albus stated. "Except for my sister, I have no idea what to get her. Maybe I'll just get her a certificate for Honeyduke's or something like that."

"How about you Scorp?" Asked Maxwell Zabini.

Scorpius shook his head. "Only for the Potters and Weasleys, I still need to find something for my father and Daphne."

"Don't you feel strange calling your mother Daphne?" Todd Nott questioned from his seat next to Maxwell.

Albus could feel Scorpius tense. Of all the subjects in the world, none bothered Scorpius more than speaking about his mother. Albus could count on one hand the times that Pansy Malfoy's name had been mentioned even when the two boys were engaged in private conversation.

"Why would he?" Albus broke in. "She said its okay."

Todd shrugged. "Just seems odd is all. Do you call your mum Ginny?"

Albus shook his head. "No, but my sister calls my dad Harry and she calls Viktor her dad."

"How do you think your mum is going to take your dad playing with the Harpies?" Mindy questioned and Scorpius gave her a small smile, obviously glad for the change of subject.

"Probably not very well," admitted Albus. "But that's not my dad's fault, that's her problem." The small group of Slytherin's nodded their agreement. "It's been seven years since they divorced, she can't expect him to tiptoe around her forever."

"Do you think he'll bring a date to the New Year's party?" asked Mindy and everyone froze in anticipation of his answer.

"Who knows," Albus shrugged. "It seems strange that he hasn't moved on yet. I hope it's not because he's stuck on my mum, because she's certainly not stuck on him."

**dSz**

"Ginny, are you home?" Hermione called out from the floo.

Ginny rushed into the sitting room and smiled at her friend. "Come on through Hermione. I was just about to have a bit of lunch, would you like to join me?"

Hermione smiled and extracted her head. A moment later she gracefully stepped out of the fireplace. Ginny embraced her immediately and Hermione returned it without hesitation. Ginny was glad for that.

"What brings you here? Shouldn't you be at the station picking up Rosie?" Ginny questioned.

Hermione laughed. "Don't let her hear you call her that. She's Rose now, not Rosie. Hugo, James and Albus love to call her Rosie to get a rise out of her. Ron wanted to pick her up by himself. I think he's going to take the children to get my Christmas present."

"And probably get his own for you as well," chuckled Ginny. "He always waits until the last minute."

Ginny motioned for Hermione to follow her into the kitchen. "Lily's at her friends today and Viktor is off doing his own Christmas shopping, so why don't we have lunch in the kitchen."

A small table with four stools sat in the homey kitchen. They both sat at a stool and served themselves to the plate of sandwiches on the table. Ginny poured out milk for the both of them, which Hermione thanked her for before digging in.

"I stopped by the other day, but Lily said you had an appointment somewhere and wouldn't be back for an hour," Hermione mentioned offhandedly then waited to see if Ginny would elaborate.

Ginny stopped in mid-chew, silently mulling over whether to tell Hermione where she'd been. On the one hand, it really wasn't any of Hermione's business, but on the other hand, Hermione is incredibly intelligent and would probably find out eventually anyway. Besides, it might feel good to tell someone especially someone like Hermione who she knew would never judge her for getting help.

"I went to see a Healer."

Hermione gave her an alarmed look. "Are you alright? Is there something wrong? Are you sick?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, I'm fine. He's a Mind Healer." Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "It was my first appointment, but I'm fairly sure I'm going to go again."

"That's wonderful, Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed. "I've always thought the magical world was a bit behind when it came to treating psychological illnesses. Would you mind if I asked how it went?"

"No, I don't mind," she replied truthfully. "Actually, I was really scared when I went, but now I'm glad that I did. It felt good to talk about things."

"You know you can always talk to me."

Ginny sighed. "I know, but it's nice to talk to someone who wasn't in the thick of things. You try really hard to be both my friend and Harry's, but I know Harry will always come first."

Hermione folded her arms over her chest. "Now that's not true. Just because there was some unpleasantness between the two of you doesn't mean that I can't empathize with you both. I am completely aware of the fact that Harry can act like a right git sometimes and you're not always a princess yourself." Ginny couldn't stop from grinning and Hermione smiled in amusement.

"I'm glad that we're still friends," Ginny admitted solemnly.

"Well, as your friend, there's something I want to tell you." Hermione took a deep breath. "I was at the Ministry and I overheard Geoffries from Magical Sports talking about the Harpies. I know why they picked Harry for their team. They had to recruit a man."

"What?" Ginny questioned. "But why?"

"Do you remember last year when that bloke from Dublin wanted to start an all male team?"

Ginny nodded. "The Dublin Dementors," she stated, shivering a bit. "What a horrible name for a team."

"Well, there were a lot of complaints and when it came before the Wizengamot they ruled that it was unfair to not let women try out for the team. The owner of the Dementors hired a lawyer and he argued that it wasn't fair to allow all women teams and not have the same thing for men."

"So the Harpies had to find a male player," Ginny stated, finally beginning to understand what Hermione was getting at. "And if Gwenog was going to be forced to take on a man, it was going to be someone worth getting." Hermione nodded in agreement. "Does Harry know?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I haven't told him."

"Don't," Ginny urged suddenly, feeling a sudden ache in her stomach at the thought of how Harry would feel if he knew the circumstances behind his sudden drafting to the Harpies. "Unless you think it will come out later."

"No, I don't think it will come out. The Prophet has been working to get on Harry's good side for years and Witch Weekly isn't much better."

"Don't tell him then, it will only hurt him."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "You're probably right. He's always been absurdly sensitive about things like that."

Ginny laughed and grabbed another sandwich. She chewed slowly, watching Hermione as the bushy-haired witch seemed to contemplate something else she wished to speak about but didn't know if she should.

"Out with it," Ginny finally huffed when she could take Hermione's fidgeting no longer.

"Are you going to the New Year's party at Malfoy's?"

"You know we go every year, why?" Ginny questioned, suddenly feeling very curious at her friend's nervous behavior.

"Harry will be bringing a date this year. I stopped over at Grimmauld the other day and he said that he has to find a date or else Draco will find one for him."

Ginny smiled and it was taunt and rigid for a moment, but soon softened. It was wrong to be jealous when she'd been happily married for so long. She analyzed her feelings and realized that she was more jealous at being replaced than she was at the idea of Harry having a girlfriend.

"You're not going to blow up or anything?" Hermione asked. "I can't read the expression on your face right now."

Ginny shook her head. "No, I'm not going to blow up. Harry should find someone. Merlin's beard, we've been divorced for seven years now. It's definitely time to move on."

"For him or for you?" Hermione asked, eyes narrowed.

Ginny just grinned and took a large bite from her ham sandwich.

**dSz**

"Dad!" James shouted, causing more than a few heads to turn.

His dad waved from the other side of the platform. James could see a photographer standing a few feet away. It was Fillmore from the Prophet, a small, brown-haired man with thick square spectacles perched on his small nose. He gave James a small wave as well and the Gryffindor couldn't help but smile. Fillmore was practically part of the family. He'd been assigned to them by the Prophet and followed his dad, James or Albus anytime they were out in public. He was a nice man though and would immediately disappear if one of them asked.

"James!" His dad called out and James laughed as his dad engulfed him in a large hug. A camera flash went off and James pulled away from his dad.

"Hello Fillmore," he greeted the photographer.

Fillmore tipped his hat at the pair. "Hello James, how's your year been so far?"

"Excellent," James stated assuredly. "Gryffindor's won three out of four of our matches this year."

"Thinking about going pro like your dad?"

James shook his head. "Nah, I like Quidditch for fun, not profit. Albus might, he's quite the Seeker for Slytherin."

"Speak of the devil," his dad interrupted. "Albus, Scorpius, over here!"

James turned to see his younger brother running across the platform. He grinned when the two embraced and the camera flash went off again. His dad reached out and grasped Scorpius by the shoulder.

"It's good to see you again Scorpius," He said in greeting.

"You too, Mr. Potter," Scorpius smiled happily. "I hear we're going to be decorating the house tomorrow."

James nodded. "This will be your first time helping us, it'll be a blast. And afterward Kreacher will make hot chocolate and we can roast marshmallows in the fireplace."

"A picture for the Prophet before you leave?" Fillmore questioned hopefully.

His dad nodded and turned toward the photographer. Scorpius stepped to the side to get out of the picture but James pulled him back. The camera flash went off and they all blinked until their vision returned.

"Thanks Mr. Potter, I'll see you all Christmas Eve." The tiny photographer tipped his hat before disappearing into the crowd.

"You're crazy if you think you're not already part of this family," James chided Scorpius and the blonde blushed. He grabbed the Slytherin around the neck and rubbed his head with his knuckles.

"My hair!" Exclaimed Scorpius and everyone laughed.

"Come on you three," His dad. "The car's parked outside."

"Shotgun!" James shouted loudly, causing heads to turn again. He chuckled as his brother punched him on the arm.

They made their way through the barrier and quickly pushed their carts outside. A shiny, red convertible sat in one of the parking spots, its trunk magically enlarged to hold all of their belongings. Scorpius moved to open the door and James stopped him.

"Scorpius doesn't know the rules," He stated. "Someone better show him."

"We don't use the doors," Albus laughed.

Scorpius gave them all a confused look. "How on earth do you get in then?"

"Like this," his dad replied before grasping the side of the car and heaving his body over the door. He plopped into the front seat and Scorpius gasped in surprise.

"Don't you know the right away to get into a convertible?" James questioned with a smile. He followed his father's lead and leaped over the door into the passenger seat. Albus followed suit and they all turned to Scorpius expectantly.

"No problem, I can do this," the blonde stated. He attempted to follow their movements exactly and ended up flipping face first onto the floor mat. With a huff he righted himself and gave them all a glare. "You Potters are all nutty, that's what I think."

They all laughed at Scorpius but were interrupted by a soft voice calling his father's name.

"Harry?"

James looked up and was surprised to see a beautiful blonde woman with striking grey eyes. She wore a set of dark blue robes that fit her very nicely. She smiled at them all and James felt his stomach do a little flip. His dad must have been feeling the same way because his face became very red.

"Luna!" His father exclaimed happily. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing through actually. I'm taking the Express back to Hogwarts. I have a job interview."

"Really, for what position?" His father questioned

"Care of Magical Creatures," she explained. "I hope I get it. I'd love to live at Hogwarts."

"And the twins, how are they?"

"Very well," she stated and James wondered how his father knew this woman so well when he'd never seen her before in his life.

"Will they be transferring to Hogwarts as well then?"

The woman shook her head and laughed. It was a very pretty sound that seemed to have a strange affect on his father. The man fidgeted in his seat and played with the edge of his winter coat.

"O no, they love Beauxbatons, I wouldn't even think of pulling them out now. It wouldn't really be fair when they have so many friends there." She took a quick glance at the watch on her wrist. "I should go Harry, or I'll miss the train. It was wonderful talking to you though."

"It was good talking to you too," his dad answered, sounding reluctant to see her go.

Luna turned and headed into the station. James punched his dad in the arm, earning him an angry and confused look.

"What was that for?"

James threw his hands up. "You really are hopeless. Go ask her out to dinner or something."

"What?" His dad, Albus and Scorpius exclaimed at the same time.

James sighed and shook his head. "I'm surrounded by the densest…look, she obviously is interested in you, just go ask her. You better hurry though, who knows when you'll see her again."

His dad gave him a curious look before nodding. With a great leap he jumped from the car and rushed to catch Luna before the train left. James chuckled and Albus kicked the back of his seat.

"How'd you know that girl likes Dad?"

James rolled his eyes. "You're such a kid. She's not a girl, she's a woman. And I could tell she liked talking to him, who knows if she's really interested?"

Scorpius jaw dropped. "But you told Mr. Potter that she was."

"Dad needs to get out so I gave him a little push. It'll be good for him."

"Unless she turns him down," Albus ground out angrily.

"She won't," he stated assuredly. "She's obviously friends with Dad, so even if she doesn't like him like that, she'll still agree to go out to dinner."

His brother's eyes narrowed. "How do you know about all this stuff?"

James grinned. "Just gifted I guess." He winked at them both and Albus stuck out his tongue.

The three of them waited with baited breath for their father to return. James was still smugly confident that his father would be successful. Angela, his girlfriend, had told him all about what girls like and what they don't and the one thing that they really liked was when guys act all shy and nervous. She said it was flattering to the girl. Well, there's no one more shy and nervous around girls then his dad.

"She said yes," his dad exclaimed as he jumped back into the car. "I can't believe it."

James grinned. "I told you so. Now, can we get going? A Christmas Story is on at eight and I don't want to miss it."


End file.
